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RIN ID: RIN 3235-AK17
DOCUMENT ID: [Release No. 34-58070; File No. S7-17-08]
SUBJECT CATEGORY: References to Ratings of Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations
DOCUMENT SUMMARY: This is one of three releases that the Securities and Exchange Commission (``Commission'') is publishing simultaneously relating to the use in its rules and forms of credit ratings issued by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (``NRSROs''). In this release, the Commission proposes to amend various rules and forms under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Exchange Act'') that rely on NRSRO ratings. The proposed amendments are designed to address concerns that the reference to NRSRO ratings in Commission rules and forms may have contributed to an undue reliance on NRSRO ratings by market participants.
SUMMARY: Securities and Exchange Commission,
On June 16, 2008, in furtherance of the Credit Rating Agency Reform
Act of 2006,\1\ the Commission published for notice and comment two
rulemaking initiatives.\2\ The first proposes additional requirements
for NRSROs \3\ that were directed at reducing conflicts of interests in
the credit rating process, fostering competition and comparability
among credit rating agencies, and increasing transparency of the credit
rating process.\4\ The second is designed to improve investor
understanding of the risk characteristics of structured finance
products. Those proposals address concerns about the integrity of the
credit rating procedures and methodologies of NRSROs in light of the
role they played in determining the credit ratings for securities that
were the subject of the recent turmoil in the credit markets. \1\ Public Law 109291, 120 Stat. 1327 (2006).
\2\ Proposed Rules for Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating
Organizations, Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57967 (June 16, 2008), 73 FR 36212 (June 25, 2008).
\3\ As described in more detail below, an NRSRO is an
organization that issues ratings that assess the creditworthiness of
an obligor itself or with regard to specific securities or money
market instruments, has been in existence as a credit rating agency
for at least three years, and meets certain other criteria. The term
is defined in section 3(a)(62) of the Securities Exchange Act. A
credit rating agency must apply with the Commission to register as an NRSRO, and currently there are nine registered NRSROs.
Today's proposals comprise the third of these three rulemaking
initiatives relating to credit ratings by an NRSRO that the Commission
is proposing. This release, together with two companion releases, sets
forth the results of the Commission's review of the requirements in its
rules and forms that rely on credit ratings by an NRSRO. The proposals
also address recent recommendations issued by the President's Working
Group on Financial Markets (``PWG''), the Financial Stability Forum
(``FSF''), and the Technical Committee of the International
Organization of Securities Commissions (``IOSCO'').\5\ Consistent with
these recommendations, the Commission is considering whether the
inclusion of requirements related to ratings in its rules and forms
has, in effect, placed an ``official seal of approval'' on ratings that
could adversely affect the quality of due diligence and investment
analysis. The Commission believes that today's proposals could reduce
undue reliance on credit ratings and result in improvements in the analysis that underlies investment decisions.
\5\ See President's Working Group on Financial Markets, Policy
Statement on Financial Market Developments (March 2008), available
at http://www.ustreas.gov (``PWG Statement''); The Report of the
Financial Stability Forum on Enhancing Market and Institutional
Resilience (April 2008), available at http://www.fsforum.org (``FSF
Report''); Technical Committee of the International Organization of
Securities Commissions, Consultation Report: The Role of Credit
Rating Agencies in Structured Finance Markets (March 2008), page 9,
available at http://www.iosco.org. II. Background
The Commission first used the term NRSRO in our rules in 1975 in
the net capital rule for brokerdealers, Rule 15c31 under the Exchange
Act (``Net Capital Rule'') \6\ as an objective benchmark to prescribe
capital charges for different types of debt securities. Since then, we
have used the designation in a number of regulations under the federal
securities laws. Although we originated the use of the term NRSRO for a
narrow purpose in our own regulations, ratings by NRSROs today are used
widely as benchmarks in federal and state legislation, rules issued by
other financial regulators, in the United States and abroad, and private financial contracts.
\6\ 17 CFR 240.15c31.
Referring to NRSRO ratings in regulations was intended to provide a
clear reference point to both regulators and market participants.
Increasingly, we have seen clear disadvantages of using the term in
many of our regulations. Foremost, there is a risk that investors
interpret the use of the term in laws and regulations as an endorsement
of the quality of the credit ratings issued by NRSROs, which may have
encouraged investors to place undue reliance on the credit ratings
issued by these entities. In addition, as demonstrated by recent
events,\7\ there has been increasing concern about ratings and the
ratings process. Further, by referencing ratings in the Commission's
rules, market participants operating pursuant to these rules may be
vulnerable to failures in the ratings process. In light of this, the Commission proposes to amend the regulations.
\7\ See Proposed Rules for National Recognized Statistical
Rating Organizations, Securities Exchange Act Release No. 57967.
We have identified a small number of rules and forms, however,
where we believe it is appropriate to retain the reference to NRSRO
ratings. These rules and forms generally relate to nonpublic reporting
or recordkeeping requirements we use to evaluate the financial
stability of large brokers or dealers or their counterparties and are
unlikely to contribute to any undue reliance on NRSRO ratings by market participants.\8\
\8\ These include Rules 15c31g(c)(1)(i), 15c31g(e)(2)(i), 17i
5, and 17i8, which impose certain recordkeeping and reporting
requirements for ultimate holding companies of brokerdealers and of
supervised investment bank holding companies, and Forms 17H and X
17A5 Part IIB, which require reports regarding the risk exposures of large brokerdealers and OTC derivatives dealers.
We are proposing to remove references to NRSROs in the following
rules and forms: Rule 3a11, Rule 10b10, Rule 15c31, Rule 15c33,
Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M, Regulation ATS, Form ATSR, Form PILOT, and Form X17A5 Part IIB.
A. Proposed Amendments to Rule 3a11, Regulation ATS, Form ATSR, and Form PILOT
In 1998, we established a new framework for the regulation of
exchanges and alternative trading systems (``ATSs'').\9\ That framework
allowed an ATS to choose whether to register as a national securities
exchange or to register as a brokerdealer and comply with the
requirements of Regulation ATS. As part of this framework, we adopted
Rule 3a11 under the Exchange Act,\10\ Regulation ATS,\11\ and Forms ATS and ATSR.
\9\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 40760 (December 8,
1998), 63 FR 70844 (December 22, 1998) (``Regulation ATS Adopting Release'').
\10\ 17 CFR 240.3a11.
Rule 3a11(a) provides an exemption from the Exchange Act
definition of ``exchange''and thus the requirement to register as an
exchangefor a trading system that, among other things, is in
compliance with Regulation ATS.\12\ Rule 3a11(b) contains an exception
to the exemption from the exchange definition. Under this exception,
the Commission may require a trading system that is a ``substantial
market'' to register as a national securities exchange if it finds that
such action is necessary or appropriate in the public interest or
consistent with the protection of investors.\13\ Specifically, the
Commission mayafter notice to an ATS and an opportunity for it to
respondrequire the ATS to register as an exchange if, during three of
the preceding four calendar quarters, the ATS had: (1) 50% or more of
the average daily dollar trading volume in any security and 5% or more
of the average daily dollar trading volume in any class of securities;
or (2) 40% or more of the average daily dollar volume in any class of securities.\14\
\12\ See 17 CFR 240.3a11(a)(2).
\13\ See 17 CFR 240.3a11(b); Regulation ATS Adopting Release, 63 FR at 70857.
As the Commission explained in the Regulation ATS Adopting Release,
it was reserving the right to require a ``dominant'' ATS to register as
an exchange.\15\ The Commission noted, for example, that ``it may not
be consistent with the protection of investors or in the public
interest for a trading system that is the dominant market, in some
important segment of the securities market, to be exempt from
registration as an exchange if competition cannot be relied upon to
ensure fair and efficient trading structures.'' \16\ The Commission
also stated that it might be necessary to require an ATS to register as
an exchange if it ``would create systemic risk or lead to instability
in the securities markets' infrastructure.'' \17\ The Commission made
clear that its authority under Rule 3a11 was discretionary: ``Although
the standard for denying or withholding the exemption is based on
objective factors, the Commission has discretion to initiate any
process to consider whether to revoke a particular entity's exemption
under the rule.'' \18\ Thus, while observing that some ATSs likely were
above the volume thresholds of Rule 3a11, the Commission did not at
the time believe it was appropriate to revoke the exemption for any such ATS.\19\
\15\ See 63 FR at 70857.
\16\ Id. at 70858.
\17\ Id.
\18\ Id. at 7085758.
The Commission set forth eight classes of securities in any one of
which an ATS might achieve ``dominant'' status: (1) Equity securities;
(2) listed options; (3) unlisted options; (4) municipal securities; (5)
investment grade corporate debt securities; (6) noninvestment grade
corporate debt securities; (7) foreign corporate debt securities; and
(8) foreign sovereign debt securities.\20\ Under the definitions
provided in Rule 3a11, investment grade and noninvestment grade
corporate debt securities have three elements in common. They are
securities that: (1) Evidence a liability of the issuer of such
security; (2) have a fixed maturity date that is at least one year
following the date of issuance; and (3) are not exempted securities, as
defined in Section 3(a)(12) of the Exchange Act.\21\ The distinguishing
characteristic of an investment grade corporate debt security under our
current rules is that it has been rated in one of the four highest
categories by at least one NRSRO. A noninvestment grade corporate debt
security under our current rules is a corporate debt security that has not received such a rating.
\20\ See 17 CFR 240.3a11(b)(3).
\21\ Compare 17 CFR 240.3a11(b)(3)(v) with 17 CFR 240.3a1 1(b)(3)(vi).
We preliminarily believe that distinguishing investment grade
corporate debt securities and noninvestment grade corporate debt
securities as separate classes of securities under Rule 3a11 is not
necessary to fulfill the purposes of that rule. We preliminary believe
instead that combining all corporate debt securities into a single
class for purposes of assessing whether an alternative trading system
is ``dominant'' is appropriate. Accordingly, we propose to amend Rule
3a11 by replacing paragraphs (b)(3)(v) and (b)(3)(vi) which define
investment grade corporate debt securities and noninvestment grade
debt securities, respectively, with a single category ``corporate debt
securities'' in paragraph (b)(3)(v).\22\ This new definition would
retain verbatim the three elements common to the existing definitions
of investment grade and noninvestment grade debt securities. The 5% and 40% thresholds also would remain
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unchanged. Under the proposed amendment to Rule 3a11, the Commission
could, for example, determine that an ATS must register as an exchange
if the system hadduring three of the preceding four calendar
quarters50% or more of the average daily dollar trading volume in any
security and 5% or more of the average daily dollar trading volume in
corporate debt securities, or 40% of the average daily dollar trading volume in corporate debt securities.\23\
\22\ Existing paragraphs (b)(3)(vii) and (b)(3)(viii) would be
unchanged but redesignated as paragraphs (b)(3)(vi) and (b)(3)(vii), respectively.
\23\ The other six classes of securitiesequity securities,
listed options, unlisted options, municipal securities, foreign
corporate debt securities, and foreign sovereign debt securities
would remain unchanged. Therefore, as under existing Rule 3a11, the
Commission also could determine that an ATS must register as an
exchange if the system exceeded either volume threshold in any of these other classes of securities.
The Commission preliminarily believes that exceeding a volume
threshold for a combined class of all corporate debt securities would
be a sufficient indication that an ATS should be required to register
as an exchange, and that it is not necessary or appropriate to assess
trading volumes in the narrower segments of investment grade and non
investment grade corporate debt securities. While the proposed
amendment could reduce the likelihood that an ATS could be required to
register as an exchange,\24\ we preliminarily believe that this change
would nevertheless be appropriate. At this time, there does not appear
to be a continuing need to analyze ``dominance'' in separate classes of
investment grade and noninvestment grade corporate debt securities,
particularly in view of the fact that the Commission would continue to
analyze for dominance in six other classes of securities (in addition
to the new single class for corporate debt securities). The Commission
notes that, in over nine years since the adoption of Rule 3a11, the
Commission has never determined to require an ATS to register as an
exchange because it had become ``dominant.'' Moreover, the Commission
would continue to be able to exercise discretion about whether to
revoke the exemption for any ATS that exceeded either threshold in Rule
3a11. The Commission seeks comment on whether, in light of the
proposed combination of investment grade and noninvestment grade
corporate debt securities into a single class, it should adopt lower
thresholds at which an ATS that trades corporate debt securities should
be required to register as an exchange. If so, what should those thresholds be and why?
\24\ For example, under existing Rule 3a11, an ATS that has 40%
of the average daily dollar trading volume in noninvestment grade
corporate debt securities and 0% of the average daily dollar trading
volume in investment grade corporate debt securities for three
consecutive months could be required by the Commission to register
as an exchange. Under the proposed amendment, the Commission could
not do so because the ATS's combined average daily dollar trading
volume in corporate debt securities would be less than 40%.
We are proposing similar changes to Regulation ATS, which
establishes certain requirements applicable to ATSs that choose to
register as brokerdealers and comply with Regulation ATS in lieu of
exchange registration. Rule 301(b)(5) of Regulation ATS imposes a
``fair access'' requirement, whereby an ATS that exceeds certain volume
thresholds in any class of securities must establish written standards
for granting access to trading on its system and not unreasonably
prohibit or limit any person in respect to access to the services it
offers.\25\ The fair access standard applies if an ATS has 5% or more
of the average daily volume during at least four of the preceding six
calendar months in any of the following: (1) Any individual NMS stock;
\26\ (2) any individual equity security that is not an NMS stock and
for which transactions are reported to a selfregulatory organization;
(3) municipal securities; (4) investment grade corporate debt
securities; and (5) noninvestment grade corporate debt securities.\27\
The terms investment grade and noninvestment grade debt security are defined in Rule 300 of Regulation ATS.
\25\ See 17 CFR 242.301(b)(5).
\26\ See 17 CFR 240.600(a)(47) (defining ``NMS stock'').
\27\ In proposing Regulation ATS, the Commission requested
comment ``on whether categories of debt securities should be further
divided based on an instrument's maturity, credit rating, or other
criteria.'' Securities Exchange Act Release No. 39884 (April 21,
1998), 63 FR 23504, 23519 (April 29, 1998). However, in adopting
Regulation ATS, the Commission did not employ these narrower classes
of debt securities. See Regulation ATS Adopting Release, 63 FR at 70873.
We propose to amend Rules 300 and 301(b)(5) to establish a single
class of corporate debt securities and to eliminate the existing
separate classes of investment grade and noninvestment grade corporate
debt securities. Accordingly, paragraphs (i) and (j) of Rule 300 would
be replaced with a new paragraph (i) defining ``corporate debt
security'' to mean any security that: (1) Evidences a liability of the
issuer of such security; (2) has a fixed maturity date that is at least
one year following the date of issuance; and (3) is not an exempted
security, as defined in Section 3(a)(12) of the Exchange Act. Existing
paragraphs (i)(D) and (i)(E) of Rule 301(b)(5) would be replaced with a
new paragraph (i)(D) providing that an ATS must comply with the access
requirements set out in Rule 301(b)(5) if, with respect to corporate
debt securities, such system accounts for 5% or more of the average
daily volume traded in the United States for the requisite number of
months. The 5% threshold at which an ATS would have to grant fair
access to its system also would remain unchanged.\28\ As with the
proposed changes to Rule 3a11, the other classes of securities would remain unchanged.
\28\ When the Commission originally adopted Regulation ATS, it
set the fair access threshold at 20%. It later lowered the threshold
to 5% in connection with the adoption of Regulation NMS. See
Securities Exchange Act Release No. 51808 (June 9, 2005), 70 FR 37496, 37550 (June 29, 2005).
In addition, Rule 301(b)(6) of Regulation ATS \29\ requires an ATS that exceeds certain volume thresholds in any class of securities to comply with standards regarding the capacity, integrity, and security of its automated systems. Five classes of securities are currently identified in Rule 301(b)(6): (1) NMS stocks; (2) equity securities that are not NMS stocks and for which transactions are reported to a selfregulatory organization; (3) municipal securities; (4) investment grade corporate debt securities; and (5) noninvestment grade corporate debt securities.\30\ Consistent with the other proposed changes to Regulation ATS, the Commission also proposes to eliminate separate classes for investment grade and noninvestment grade debt securities in Rule 301(b)(6) and replace them with a single category for ``corporate debt securities,'' which would be defined in Rule 300. Existing paragraphs (i)(D) and (i)(E) of Rule 301(b)(6) would be replaced with a new paragraph (i)(D) providing that an ATS must comply with the capacity, integrity, and security requirements of Rule 301(b)(6) if, with respect to corporate debt securities, such system accounts for 20% or more of the average daily volume traded in the United States for the requisite number of months. The 20% threshold and the other three classes of securities would remain unchanged. \29\ 17 CFR 242.301(b)(6).
For the same reasons we are proposing to amend Rule 3a11, we
preliminarily believe that these proposed amendments to Regulation ATS
would be appropriate, and that a volume threshold for a combined class
of all corporate debt securities would be sufficient for the fair
access requirement and the capacity, integrity, and security
requirements. The Commission preliminarily believes that the purposes of Regulation ATS would still be
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fulfilled if investment grade and noninvestment grade corporate debt
securities were combined into a single class. ATSs would continue to be
subject to the fair access requirements and the capacity, integrity,
and security requirements with respect to the other existing classes of securities and at the same volume thresholds (5% and 20%,
respectively). The Commission seeks comment on whether, in light of the
proposed combination of investment grade and noninvestment grade
corporate debt securities into a single class, it should adopt lower
thresholds for fair access and the capacity, security, and integrity
requirements under Regulation ATS. If so, what should those thresholds be and why?
We are also proposing revisions to Form ATSR, which is used by ATSs to report certain information about their activities on a quarterly basis.\31\ Currently, Form ATSR requires each ATS to report the total unit volume and total dollar volume in the previous quarter for various categories of securities, including investment grade and noninvestment grade corporate debt securities. Consistent with the proposed amendments to Regulation ATS described above, we also propose to revise Form ATSR to eliminate the separate categories for investment grade and noninvestment grade corporate debt securities, and instead create a single category for ``corporate debt securities.'' As with the proposed changes to Regulation ATS, ``corporate debt securities'' would be defined in the instructions to Form ATSR to mean any security that: (1) Evidences a liability of the issuer of such security; (2) has a fixed maturity date that is at least one year following the date of issuance; and (3) is not an exempted security, as defined in Section 3(a)(12) of the Exchange Act. Because separate classes for investment grade and noninvestment grade corporate debt securities are proposed to be eliminated for purposes of the thresholds in Rule 3a11 and Rules 301(b)(5) and 301(b)(6) of Regulation NMS, no purpose would be served by requiring ATSs to separately report their trading volumes for investment grade and noninvestment grade debt securities on Form ATSR. The figures for the separate classes would be added together and reported as a single item on the amended form. The Commission is not proposing any other changes to Form ATSR. \31\ Each ATS must file a Form ATSR within 30 days of the end of each calendar quarter, and within ten days of a cessation of operations. See 17 CFR 242.301(b)(9).
We are also proposing to revise Form PILOT consistent with the
proposed changes to Form ATSR. Ordinarily, Section 19 of the Exchange
Act \32\ and Rule 194 thereunder \33\ require a selfregulatory
organization (``SRO'') to file with the Commission proposed rule
changes on Form 19b4 regarding any changes to any material aspect of
its operations, including any trading system. Rule 19b5 under the
Exchange Act \34\ sets forth a limited exception to that requirement by
permitting an SRO to operate a pilot trading system without filing
proposed rule changes with respect to that system if certain criteria
are met. One of those criteria is that the SRO file a Form PILOT in
accordance with the instructions on that form. Like Form ATSR, Form
PILOT currently requires quarterly reporting of trading activity by
classes of securities, including investment grade and noninvestment
grade corporate debt securities. For the same reasons we propose to
amend Rule 3a11 and Regulation ATS, we also propose to revise Form
PILOT to eliminate these two categories, replacing them with a single
category of ``corporate debt securities.'' Corporate debt securities
would be defined identically in Form PILOT and Form ATSR. The
Commission preliminarily believes that it is appropriate to obtain
trading volumes from pilot trading systems for the combined class of
corporate debt securities, and that separate reporting of the two
classes is not necessary to adequately monitor the development of pilot
trading systems. The Commission notes that, in over nine years since
Rule 19b5 and Form PILOT were adopted, no SRO has ever established a
pilot trading system pursuant to Rule 19b5 to trade corporate debt securities.
\32\ 15 U.S.C. 78s.
\33\ 17 CFR 240.19b4.
We generally request comment on all aspects of the proposed
elimination of the reference to NRSRO ratings in Rule 3a11, Regulation
ATS, Form ATSR, and Form PILOT. In addition, we request comment on the following specific questions:
We propose to amend Rule 10b10,\35\ the transaction confirmation
rule for brokerdealers, to delete paragraph (a)(8) of that rule.\36\
Rule 10b10 generally requires brokerdealers that effect transactions
for customers in securities, other than U.S. savings bonds or municipal
securities, which are covered by Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board
rule G15 (which applies to all municipal securities brokers and
dealers), to provide customers with written notification, at or before
the completion of each transaction, of certain basic transaction terms.
This transaction confirmation must disclose, among other information: the date of the transaction; the identity, price, and
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number of shares bought or sold; \37\ the capacity of the broker
dealer; \38\ the dollar price or yield at which a transaction in a debt
security was effected; \39\ and, under specified circumstances, the
amount of compensation paid to the brokerdealer and whether the brokerdealer receives payment for order flow.\40\
\35\ 17 CFR 240.10b10.
\36\ Consistent with that change, we also are proposing to
redesignate paragraph (a)(9) of the rule, related to brokerdealers
that are not members of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (``SIPC''), as paragraph (a)(8).
\37\ See 17 CFR 240.10b10(a)(1) (the confirmation must also
include either the time of the transaction or the fact that it will be furnished upon written request).
\38\ See 17 CFR 240.10b10(a)(2).
\39\ See 17 CFR 240.10b10(a)(5) and (6).
\40\ See, e.g., 17 CFR 240.10b10(a)(2)(i)(B), (C) and (D).
The rule's requirements, portions of which have been in effect for
over 60 years, provide basic investor protections by conveying
information that allows investors to verify the terms of their
transactions, alerts investors to potential conflicts of interest with
their brokerdealers, acts as a safeguard against fraud, and provides
investors a means to evaluate the costs of their transactions and the execution quality.\41\
\41\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34962 (November 10, 1994), 59 FR 59612, 59613 (November 17, 1994).
Paragraph (a)(8) of Rule 10b10 requires transaction confirmations
for debt securities, other than government securities, to inform the
customer if the security is unrated by an NRSRO. When we adopted
paragraph (a)(8) in 1994, it was intended to prompt a dialogue between
the customer and the brokerdealer if the customer had not previously
been informed of the unrated status of the debt security. We stated
that this disclosure was not intended to suggest that an unrated
security is inherently riskier than a rated security.\42\ Upon further
consideration and in light of present concerns regarding undue reliance
on NRSRO ratings and confusion about the significance of those ratings,
we believe it would be appropriate to delete this requirement. However,
in proposing to no longer require brokerdealers to include in
transaction confirmations the information that a debt security is
unrated, we do not mean to suggest that information about an issuer's
creditworthiness is not a relevant subject for discussion and
consideration prior to purchasing a debt security. We would encourage
investors to seek to understand all of the risks of securities,
including creditrelated risks, before buying. In addition, we note
that deleting this requirement would not prevent brokerdealers from
voluntarily continuing to include this information in transaction confirmations.
\42\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 34962 (November 10, 1994), 59 FR 59612 (November 17, 1994) (File No. S7694).
We generally request comment on all aspects of the proposed
elimination of the NRSRO reference in Rule 10b10. In addition, we request comment on the following specific questions:
Under the Net Capital Rule, brokerdealers are required to maintain, at all times, a minimum amount of net capital. The rule generally defines ``net capital'' as a brokerdealer's net worth (assets minus liabilities), plus certain subordinated liabilities, less certain assets that are not readily convertible into cash (e.g., fixed assets), and less a percentage (haircut) of certain other liquid assets (e.g., securities).\43\ Brokerdealers are required to calculate net worth using generally accepted accounting principles.
In computing their net capital under the provisions of the Net Capital Rule, brokerdealers are required to deduct from their net worth certain percentages of the market value of their proprietary securities positions. A primary purpose of these ``haircuts'' is to provide a margin of safety against losses that might be incurred by brokerdealers as a result of market fluctuations in the prices of, or lack of liquidity in, their proprietary positions. We apply a lower haircut to certain types of securities held by a brokerdealer that were rated investment grade by a credit rating agency of national repute since those securities typically were more liquid and less volatile in price than securities that were not so highly rated.\44\ \44\ See 17 CFR 240.15c31(c)(2)(vi)(E) (haircuts applicable to commercial paper), 17 CFR 240.15c31(c)(2)(vi)(F) (haircuts applicable to nonconvertible debt securities), and 17 CFR 240.15c3 1(c)(2)(vi)(H) (haircuts applicable to cumulative nonconvertible preferred stock). The term NRSRO is also used in appendices to the Net Capital Rule. See 17 CFR 240.15c31a(b)(1)(i)(C) (defining the term ``major market foreign currency'') and 17 CFR 240.15c31f(d) (determining the capital charge for credit risk arising from certain OTC derivatives transactions).
We are proposing to remove, with limited exceptions, all references
to NRSROs from the Net Capital Rule.\45\ The brokerdealers subject to
the Net Capital Rule are sophisticated market participants regulated by
at least one SRO.\46\ As regulated entities, brokerdealers must meet
certain financial responsibility requirements, including maintaining
minimum amounts of liquid assets as net capital, safeguarding customer
funds and securities, and making and preserving accurate books and
records. Accordingly, we preliminarily believe that brokerdealers
would be able to assess the creditworthiness of the securities they
hold without undue hardship and, therefore, that exclusive reliance on
NRSRO ratings for the purposes of the Net Capital Rule is no longer
necessary, although brokerdealers that wish to continue to rely on such ratings may do so.
\45\ In 2003, the Commission published a concept release in
which we sought comment on the use of NRSRO ratings in our rules,
and specifically sought comment on eliminating the minimum quality
standards established with the use of NRSRO ratings in Exchange Act
Rule 15c31. See Rating Agencies and the Use of Credit Ratings Under
the Federal Securities Laws, Securities Exchange Act Release No.
47972 (June 4, 2003), 68 FR 35258 (June 12, 2003). (Comments on the
concept release are available at: http://www.sec.gov/rules/concept/
s71203.shtml.) As discussed above, recent events have highlighted
the need to revisit our reliance on NRSRO ratings in the context of
these developments. See also the extensive discussion of market developments in the Release No. 57967.
\46\ The SROs regulating brokerdealers include the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, and the national securities exchanges.
We are proposing the substitution of two new subjective standards
for the NRSRO ratings currently relied upon under the Net Capital Rule.
For the purposes of determining the haircut on commercial paper,\47\ we
propose to replace the current NRSRO ratingsbased criterionbeing
rated in one of the three highest rating categories by at least two
NRSROswith a requirement that the instrument be subject to a minimal
amount of credit risk and have sufficient liquidity such that it can be
sold at or near its carrying value almost immediately. For the purposes
of determining haircuts on nonconvertible debt securities as well as on
preferred stock,\48\ we propose to replace the current NRSRO ratings
based criterionbeing rated in one of the four highest rating
categories by at least two NRSROswith a requirement that the
instrument be subject to no greater than moderate credit risk and have sufficient liquidity such that it can be sold at or
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near its carrying value within a reasonably short period of time. This
latter formulation would apply as well to long or short positions that
are hedged with short or long positions in securities issued by the
United States or any agency thereof or nonconvertible debt securities
having a fixed interest rate and a fixed maturity date and which are
not traded flat or in default as to principal or interest.\49\ \47\ See 17 CFR 240.15c31(c)(2)(vi)(E).
\48\ See 17 CFR 240.15c31(c)(2)(vi)(F)(1) and (c)(2)(vi)(H). \49\ See 17 CFR 240.15c31(c)(2)(vi)(F)(2).
We preliminarily believe that these new standards would continue to advance the purpose the NRSRO ratingsbased standards were designed to advance, which is to enable brokerdealers to make net capital computations that reflect the market risk inherent in the positioning of those particular types of securities. The prior standardsbeing rated in one of the three or four highest rating categories by at least two NRSROswere designed based on the practice of many credit rating agencies to have at least eight categories for their debt securities with the top four commonly referred to as ``investment grade.'' \50\ While the proposed standards, like the prior standards, do not use the term ``investment grade,'' they are meant to serve the same purpose as the prior standards. As such, the category of securities that have ``no greater than moderate credit risk'' and can be sold at or near their carrying value within a reasonably short period of time should encompass all investment grade securities. The proposed new criteria for commercial paper to be used for net capital purposes are securities that are ``subject to a minimal amount of credit risk'' and can be sold at or near their carrying value almost immediately. In each case, the proposed liquidity standard would reflect the fact that only liquid assets are relevant for the purposes of the Net Capital Rule. \50\ See Oversight of Credit Rating Agencies Registered as Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations, Securities Exchange Act Release No. 55857 (June 5, 2007), 72 FR 33564 (June 18, 2007).
We further believe that brokerdealers have the financial sophistication and the resources necessary to make the basic determinations of whether or not a security meets the requirements in the proposed amendments and to distinguish between securities subject to minimal credit risk and those subject to moderate credit risk. The brokerdealer would have to be able to explain how the securities it used for net capital purposes meet the standards set forth in the proposed amendments.
Notwithstanding our belief that brokerdealers have the financial sophistication and the resources to make these determinations, we believe it would be appropriate, as one means of complying with the proposed amendments, for brokerdealers to refer to NRSRO ratings for the purposes of determining haircuts under the Net Capital Rule. As such, if we adopt the proposed amendments, after considering comments, we expect to take the view in the adopting release that securities rated in one of the three highest categories by at least two NRSROs would satisfy the requirements of proposed new paragraph (c)(2)(vi)(E) and securities rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least two NRSROs to satisfy the requirements of proposed new paragraphs (c)(2)(vi)(F) and (c)(2)(vi)(H). We emphasize, however, that references to such NRSRO ratings would be just one means of satisfying the requirements of the proposed amendments but would not the only means of doing so.
We are also proposing to remove references to NRSRO ratings from
Appendices E and F to Rule 15c31 and make conforming changes to
Appendix G of Rule 15c31 and the General Instructions to Form X17 A
5, Part IIB.\51\ Appendix E of the Net Capital Rule sets forth a
program that allows a brokerdealer to use an alternative approach to
computing net capital deductions, subject to certain conditions, most
importantly the brokerdealer's ultimate holding company consenting to
groupwide Commission supervision as a consolidated supervised entity
(``CSE'').\52\ Appendix F to the Net Capital Rule sets forth a similar
program for OTC derivatives dealers. In each case, the program sets
forth an alternative means of establishing net capital requirements
under the Net Capital Rule by which the brokerdealer or OTC
derivatives dealer, as applicable, may elect to determine counterparty
risk. This may be done either based on NRSRO ratings by requesting
Commission approval to determine credit risk weights based on internal calculations.
\51\ 17 CFR 240.15c31e, 240.15c31f, and 240.15c31g; see 17 CFR 249.617.
We are proposing to delete the provisions of Appendices E and F permitting reliance on NRSRO ratings for the purposes of determining counterparty risk. As a result of these deletions, a brokerdealer that is part of a CSE or a OTC derivatives dealer that wished to use the approach set forth Appendix E or F, respectively, to determine counterparty risks would be required, as part of its initial application to use the alternative approach or in an amendment, to request Commission approval to determine credit risk weights based on internal calculations. Based on the strength of the brokerdealer/CSE or OTC derivatives dealer's internal credit risk management system, we may approve the application. A brokerdealer or OTC derivatives dealer that obtained such approval would be required to make and keep current a record of the basis for the credit risk weight of each counterparty. To date, a total of seven entities have applied for and been granted permission to use the methods set forth in Appendix E, while five have applied for and been granted permission to use the methods set forth in Appendix F. We do not currently anticipate that any additional firms will apply for permission to use either Appendix E or Appendix F. All of the approved firms have already developed models to calculate market and credit risk under the alternative net capital calculation methods set forth in the appendices as well as internal risk management control systems.\53\ As such, each firm already employs the nonNRSRO ratings based method that would, under the proposed amendments, become the only option for determining counterparty credit risk under Appendices E and F. We are also proposing conforming amendments to Appendix G of Rule 15c31 and the General Instructions to Form X17 A5, Part IIB. The proposed amendments would delete references to the provisions of Appendices E and F, respectively, that are proposed to be deleted. \53\ See, e.g., Alternative Net Capital Requirements for Broker Dealers That Are Part of Consolidated Supervised Entities, Securities Exchange Act Release No. 49830 (June 8, 2004), 69 FR 33428 at 33456 (June 21, 2004).
We generally request comment on all aspects of the proposed elimination of the use of NRSRO ratings in the Net Capital Rule. In addition, we request comment on the following specific questions:
Note G to Exhibit A of Rule 15c33 under the Exchange Act (the
``Customer Protection Rule''), which provides the formula for the
determination of brokerdealers' reserve requirements, allows a broker
dealer to include as a debit in the formula the amount of customer
margin related to customers' positions in security futures products
posted to a registered clearing or derivatives organization that
maintains the highest investment grade rating from an NRSRO.\54\ This
standard, which is one of four different means by which a registered
clearing or derivatives organization can be judged to meet the
requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of Note G,\55\ is consistent with the
customer protection function of Rule 15c33 and is necessary because of
the unsecured nature of the customer positions in security futures
products margin debit. We propose to replace this standard with a
requirement that the registered clearing or derivatives organization to
which customers' positions in security futures products are posted has
the highest capacity to meet its financial obligations and is subject to no greater than minimal credit risk.
\54\ 17 CFR 240.15c33a(b)(1)(i).
\55\ A brokerdealer may also include customer margin related to
customers' positions in security futures products posted to a
registered clearing or derivatives organization (1) that maintains
security deposits from clearing members in connection with regulated
options or futures transactions and assessment power over member
firms that equal a combined total of at least $2 billion, at least
$500 million of which must be in the form of security deposits; (2)
that maintains at least $3 billion in margin deposits; or (3) which
does not meet the other requirements but which the Commission has
agreed, upon a written request from the brokerdealer, that the brokerdealer may utilize. 17 CFR 240.15c33a(b)(1)(ii)(iv).
We preliminarily believe that these new standards would continue to
advance the purpose the NRSROratings standard was designed to advance,
namely to ensure both of the longterm financial strength of a clearing
organization to which customers' positions in security futures products
are posted and its general creditworthiness.\56\ Although the rule was
originally designed to provide an indication of longterm financial
strength and general creditworthiness from an independent source,\57\
we preliminarily believe that brokerdealers, as sophisticated market
participants and regulated entities that are subject to financial
responsibility requirements, have the financial sophistication and the
resources necessary to make this determination. The brokerdealer would
have to be able to explain how the registered clearing or derivatives
organization to which customers' positions in security futures products are posted meets the standard in the proposed amendment.
\56\ See Rule 15c33 Reserve Requirements for Margin Related to
Security Futures Products, Securities Exchange Act Release No. 50295 (August 31, 2004), 69 FR 54182, 54185 (September 7, 2004).
We also believe, however, that it would be appropriate, as one means of complying with the proposed amendment, for brokerdealers to refer to NRSRO ratings for the purposes of paragraph (b) of Note G. As such, if we adopt the proposed amendments after considering comments, we expect to take the view in the adopting release that we would continue to consider a registered clearing agency or derivatives clearing organization that maintains the highest investmentgrade rating from an NRSRO to satisfy the requirements of that provision. We emphasize, however, that the references to such NRSRO ratings would be just one means of satisfying the requirements of the proposed amendments and would not be the only means of doing so.
We request comment on the following specific questions in connection with Exhibit A to the Customer Protection Rule:
As a prophylactic, antimanipulation set of rules, Regulation M is
designed to protect the integrity of the securities trading market as
an independent pricing mechanism by prohibiting activities that could
artificially influence the market for the offered security. Rules 101
and 102 of Regulation M specifically prohibit issuers, selling security
holders, underwriters, brokers, dealers, other distribution
participants, and any of their affiliated purchasers, from directly or
indirectly bidding for, purchasing, or attempting to induce another
person to bid for or purchase, a covered security until the applicable restricted period has ended.\58\
\58\ ``Covered security'' is defined as ``any security that is
the subject of a distribution or any reference security.'' 17 CFR 242.100.
Both rules currently except ``investment grade nonconvertible and assetbacked securities.'' \59\ These exceptions apply to
nonconvertible debt securities, nonconvertible preferred securities,
and assetbacked securities that are rated by at least one NRSRO in one
of its generic rating categories that signifies investment grade.\60\
The current exceptions for certain investment grade debt and preferred
securities rated by a NRSRO were originally based on the premise that
these securities are traded on the basis of their yields and credit
ratings, are largely fungible and, thus, are less likely to be subject
to manipulation.\61\ With respect to assetbacked securities, the
current exceptions were premised on the fact that assetbacked
securities also trade primarily on the basis of yield and credit rating
and that assetbacked securities investors are concerned with ``the
structure of the class of securities and the nature of the assets pooled to serve as collateral for those securities.'' \62\
\59\ 17 CFR 242.101(c)(2) and 242.102(d)(2).
\60\ Id.
\61\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 19565 (March 4, 1983);
48 FR 10628 (March 14, 1983). See also Securities Exchange Act
Release No. 18528 (March 3, 1982); 47 FR 11482 (March 16, 1982).
\62\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 38067 (December 20, 1996); 62 FR 520 (January 3, 1997).
In light of our effort to reduce undue reliance on NRSRO ratings,
we believe that it is appropriate to alter the current exceptions in
Rules 101 and 102 to eliminate the reference to NRSROs. We propose to
remove Rules 101 and 102's current exceptions for investment grade
nonconvertible debt securities, nonconvertible preferred securities,
and assetbacked securities based on NRSRO ratings. In place of those
exceptions, we propose new exceptions for nonconvertible debt
securities and nonconvertible preferred securities based on the ``well
known seasoned issuer'' (``WKSI'') concept of Securities Act of 1933
(``Securities Act'') Rule 405.\63\ We are also proposing to except
assetbacked securities from Rules 101 and 102 if those securities are registered on Form S3.\64\
\63\ 17 CFR 230.405.
\64\ Assetbacked securities are defined out of the WKSI
standard at subparagraph (1)(iv) of the definition and, further,
could not meet the requirements of (1)(i)(A) or (B) of the definition because they are generally onetime issuers. Id.
The proposed exceptions continue to be based on the premise that
these securities are traded on factors such as their yields and are
largely fungible. In addition we believe that the marketplace is more
likely to have access to a significant amount of useful and high
quality public information concerning these securities that may assist
investors in assessing the creditworthiness of the issuer on their own
without needing to unduly rely on a NRSRO.\65\ We understand that WKSI
and Form S3 issuers are some of the largest and highest quality
issuers of nonconvertible debt, nonconvertible preferred securities and
assetbacked securities which makes default generally less likely. But
the availability of this information or quality of underlying assets is
not enough to justify the exceptions in and of itself, the security
must also trade in such a way that it is resistant to manipulation.
This is why we are proposing to continue to limit these exceptions to
nonconvertible debt, nonconvertible preferred, and assetbacked
securities as those securities trade largely on the basis of their yield and are largely fungible.
\65\ See Securities Exchange Act Release No. 52056 (July 19,
2005); 70 FR 44722 (August 3, 2005). See also Note 61, infra.
a. Proposed Rules 101(c)(2)(i) and 102(d)(2)(i)Nonconvertible Debt and Preferred Securities
The proposed exceptions for nonconvertible debt and nonconvertible
preferred securities would require that the issuer of such securities
meet the requirements of the WKSI definition and meet the requirements
for nonconvertible securities other than common equity in paragraph (1)(i)(B)(1)
[[Page 40096]]
of the definition of WKSI in Rule 405. As proposed, the exceptions
would be available for nonconvertible debt or nonconvertible preferred
securities issued by a WKSI issuer, regardless of the method the issuer
used to attain WKSI status. However, in order to rely on the proposed
exceptions, the security must be issued by an issuer who also meets the
requirements of paragraph (1)(i)(B)(1) of the definition of WKSI in
Rule 405.\66\ This would require that the issuer have issued at least
$1 billion aggregate principal amount of nonconvertible securities,
other than common equity, in primary offerings for cash, not exchange,
registered under the Securities Act.\67\ This would limit the
exceptions to securities whose issuers have an existing public market
in nonconvertible securities other than common equity that is publicly
known and followed and, thus, are less likely to be subject to manipulation.
\66\ A nonconvertible debt or nonconvertible preferred security
issued by an issuer who is a WKSI based on the common equity
calculation in paragraph (1)(i)(A) of the definition of WKSI in Rule
405 would still be able to rely on the proposed exception if the
issuer can also meet the requirements of paragraph (1)(i)(B)(1) of the definition of WKSI in Rule 405.
\67\ 17 CFR 230.405, paragraph (1)(i)(B)(1) of the definition of WKSI.
With respect to these proposed exceptions for nonconvertible debt
and nonconvertible preferred securities utilizing a WKSI requirement, we have noted that WKSI issuers:
[A]re followed by sophisticated institutional and retail
investors, members of the financial press, and numerous sellside
and buyside analysts that actively seek new information on a
continual basis. Unlike smaller or less mature issuers, large
seasoned public issuers tend to have a more regular dialogue with
investors and market participants through the press and other media.
The communications of these wellknown seasoned issuers are subject
to scrutiny by investors, the financial press, analysts, and others who evaluate disclosure when it is made.\68\
\68\ Securities Exchange Act Release No. 52056 (July 19, 2005); 70 FR 44722 (August 3, 2005).
Thus, we believe that the nonconvertible debt and nonconvertible
preferred securities that fall within the proposed exceptions should be
resistant to manipulation because of their fungibility, trading based on yield, and this wide industry following.
b. Proposed Rules 101(c)(2)(ii) and 102(d)(2)(ii)AssetBacked Securities
The proposed changes to the assetbacked securities exceptions
would require that the offer and sale of the security is registered
using Form S3.\69\ We believe that the proposed amendments should
provide exceptions to only those assetbacked securities that are
approximately the equivalent quality of securities that are currently
excepted from Rules 101 and 102. Additionally, the proposal is also
based on the premise that assetbacked securities trade primarily on
the basis of yield and that assetbacked securities investors are
primarily concerned with the structure of the class of securities and
the nature of the assets pooled to serve as collateral for those
securities and, thus, such securities are less likely to be subject to manipulation.\70\
\69\ The Commission is also proposing to revise the General Instruction I.B.5 to Form S3 (which sets the eligibility
requirements for assetbacked securities to use that form) to remove
references to NRSROs. Securities Act Release No. 8940 (July 1, 2008) (File No. 271808).
\70\ These were the reasons that we originally excepted such
securities. Securities Exchange Act Release No. 38067 (December 20, 1996); 62 FR 520 (January 3, 1997).
We believe that the proposed amendments are appropriate
replacements for the NRSRO investment grade standard for the following
reasons. We believe that the proposals will capture securities that are
more likely to be resistant to manipulation similar to the current
exceptions because they are based on the same premises as the current
exceptions (such as high liquidity and fungibility).\71\ Second, the
proposals provide a bright line demarcation and objective criteria for
the exceptions. As both the WKSI and Form S3 standards as utilized by
this proposal are established benchmarks, they should be familiar to
those persons subject to Rules 101 and 102 and easily applied by such
persons seeking to rely on the proposed exceptions. Thus, we believe
that the proposals are comparable in scope to the existing exceptions
but use alternate benchmarks that provide an equally bright line that is not unduly reliant on NRSRO ratings.
\71\ See Securities Exchange Act Release Number 19565 (March 4,
1983); 48 FR 10628 (March 14, 1983); Securities Exchange Act Release
Number 18528 (March 3, 1982); 47 FR 11482 (March 16, 1982); and
Securities Exchange Act Release Number 38067 (December 20, 1996); 62 FR 520 (January 3, 1997).
We solicit comments on all aspects of this proposal. We ask that
commenters provide specific reasons and information to support
alternative recommendations. Please provide empirical data, when
possible, and cite to economic studies, if any, to support alternative approaches.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Michael A. Macchiaroli, Associate Director, Thomas K. McGowan, Assistant Director, Randall W. Roy, Branch Chief, and Joseph I. Levinson, Attorney (Net Capital Requirements and Customer Protection) at (202) 5515510; Michael Gaw, Assistant Director, Brian Trackman, Special Counsel, and Sarah Albertson, Attorney (Alternative Trading Systems) at (202) 5515602; Paula Jenson, Deputy Chief Counsel, Joshua Kans, Senior Special Counsel, Linda Stamp Sundberg, Senior Special Counsel (Confirmation of Transactions) at (202) 5515550; Josephine J. Tao, Assistant Director, Elizabeth A. Sandoe, Branch Chief, and Bradley Gude, Special Counsel (Regulation M) at (202) 5515720; or Catherine Moore, Counsel to the Director at (202) 5515710, Division of Trading and Markets, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC 205496628.
14 CFR Part 39 40 CFR Part 52 14 CFR Part 71 33 CFR Part 165 47 CFR Part 73 26 CFR Part 1 50 CFR Part 679 40 CFR Part 180 50 CFR Part 17 33 CFR Part 117 44 CFR Part 67 50 CFR Part 648 14 CFR Part 97 40 CFR Part 63 6 CFR Part 5 33 CFR Part 100 50 CFR Part 622 50 CFR Part 660 26 CFR Part 301 44 CFR Part 65 39 CFR Part 111 40 CFR Part 271 40 CFR Part 300 47 CFR Part 64 40 CFR Parts 52 and 81 50 CFR Part 665 39 CFR Part 3020 50 CFR Part 229 44 CFR Part 64 49 CFR Part 571